Dog obesity is a problem just like it is for humans, so you can work out on both fronts with these fun ideas and enjoy quality time with your best friend. It won’t feel like a workout and you will add some cross training to your week by doing the following play dates with your pet.

In the last post, I reviewed the guidelines for eating and drinking before a workout. Just as it is critical to fuel yourself properly before exercise, it is equally important to keep yourself fueled during exercise and afterwards for recovery. Here I will discuss fuel during exercise, but stay tuned for more information on eating well for recovery.

Spring is the fusion from winter to summer, so what better time than now to try Slimnastics? Here is your first interval from my new book and DVD“The Slimnastics Workout” to put into your workout routine this week. Yoga strengthening tones and calms your mind, while the plyometric cardio intervals blast away fat and boost your metabolism. These moves too challenging? My book tells you how to start from scratch to GET IN SHAPE for Slimnastics as well!

Army veterans shared their knowledge and skill of an ancient Hawaiian martial art here, April 27.

Thomas Kaulukukui Jr. and Jerry Walker taught Soldiers and their families about lua at the Aha Aina, or banquet, lecture series, hosted by U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii’s Native Hawaiian Liaison Office, founded to build relationships between Soldiers and their families with the Native Hawaiian community.

“Lua comes from a time when men grappled with each other and beat each other with clubs; this was before firearms,” said Kaulukukui, who served in Vietnam as a paratrooper from 1968–1970.

When I joined the Air Force, I was told not to worry about the physical training aspect — I’d be whipped into shape at basic training. I went to basic unable to do pushups correctly and even graduated unable to do them correctly.

My running and sit-​​ups improved while I was there, but I thought pushups were impossible for me. I could do the motion of pushups, which always got me by when PT test time came around.

Coach Ken is a series of fitness tips and race experiences to motivate and educate Airmen to become more physically fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Capt. Ken Corigliano is a triathlete with the Air Force team and a nationally-​​certified coach.

Now that the weather is absolutely beautiful — the days are long and the sunsets and sunrises are stunning — it’s time to get out there and start enjoying it.

Beginning this week, Soldiers and community members visiting their nearest vending machine to quell their afternoon “snack attack” may be surprised by the new options offered on Fort Drum.

The first of 197 vending machines across post were restocked with healthy food items Tuesday. The vending machine at Monti Physical Fitness Center received one of the first overhauls.

“I am very excited about the new options,” said Monica Smith, Monti PFC facility manager. “It is tough for me as a fitness professional to watch patrons come into Monti Fitness Center, work so hard and then purchase a candy bar on the way out of the facility.”

The Coast Guard’s Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team members scale cargo ships, dig through the holds of fishing vessels and board unsteady go-​​fasts bobbing in the ocean. They seize narcotics being smuggled into the United States – more than two tons of cocaine already this year – and combat piracy near Somalia.

To perform these demanding missions – often conducted near the equator where temperatures soar above 100 degrees – the team must be in top physical condition. For the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team that meant employing the use of a powerful tool – the yoga mat.

The physical rigors of combat sometimes require Airmen to carry an unconscious wingman, move large weights over long distances, and crawl or sprint across fields.

The combat fitness test held at Kunsan Air Base May 2 gave about 40 Airmen from the 8th Fighter Wing a chance to test how they would hold up in such physically-​​demanding situations.

“We wanted people to be aware of how hard they might have to push themselves in combat situations,” said Senior Airman Justin Gordon, 8th Operations Support Squadron survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialist. “With the imminent threat of North Korea, it’s especially important here, and the participants did a great job of putting themselves into the tasks.”

Minimalist running shoes are all the new rage. A departure from control and cushioning, the minimalist running shoe has emerged as a new popular choice for runners.

A minimalist running shoe is extremely flexible and low to the ground to create the sensation of barefoot running. By running in a shoe with minimal cushioning, most runners will naturally reduce their stride length to avoid landing painfully on their uncushionedheel. This change in running form reduces initial joint impact and promotes a return to what some consider a more natural foot motion.

The DoD Center of Excellence for Psychological Health defines Resiliency as “the ability to withstand, recover and/​or grow in the face of stressors and changing demands.”

To further enhance Airman, organizational and community resilience, Air Force leaders launched the Comprehensive Airman Fitness model in March 2011. The CAF model’s purpose is to achieve long-​​term culture-​​change that encourages strength-​​based measures and avoids self-​​defeating behaviors.

The CAF model’s goal is to build and sustain a resilient AF Community by fostering physical, mental, social and spiritual fitness.

As you look in the mirror at the start of another day, you see someone who looks bulked up and buff. But something very important is missing in that reflection–the uniform you once so proudly wore as a member of the U.S. Air Force. As you straighten your tie and head off to the unemployment office, you ask yourself if it was worth trying out the shortcuts. Was your career and long-​​term health really a fair trade off for the instant gratification some illegal supplements promised? Maybe you should have just asked someone first…

The mental side of training for elite athletics is not a new concept. If you follow sports at all you will most likely be exposed to players and coaches, talking about the importance of implementing a strong mental game. Most elite level athletes, whether collegiate, Olympic/​Paralympic, or professional have an element of performance psychology in their training regiment.

In graduate school I focused my efforts on implementing mental skills training into adaptive sports. At that time, it wasn’t a mainstream concept. As I am sitting in Colorado Springs, at the end of the Warrior Games training week, I am reflecting on how far things have really come. Today, the Warrior Transition Command’s adaptive reconditioning program uses mental skills training on a regular basis.

With the advances made in battlefield medicine and orthopedic prosthetics over the past decade, seriously injured service members are able to return to active lifestyles after their wounds have healed. Sgt. Todd Hunter takes us to the 2012 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., to show us a special breed of Marines competing in a special kind of competition.

The Warrior Games comprises seven sports — swimming, cycling wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, archery, shooting and track and field — in which injured, ill or wounded service members from each branch of service and the U.S. Special Operations Command will compete.